Hello and welcome to my site!
Let me introduce myself to you. I’m Emma, from the UK. I live with my amazing husband, Alex. We own a camper van called Casper the Friendly Camper and have a YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheAdventurousPair/
We both love to travel the globe, explore new places, and spend time in the outdoors hiking. While we love living an adventurous life together, I have my own challenges to face. I was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of 21. Since then, life has been a battle, but I never let it defeat me!
The Name
Wondering where the name, ‘Living With The Wolf’ came from? Lupus is the Latin name for Wolf. Everything I do in my life, involves around my illness, hence the name.
Where My Love For Travel Started
I was very fortunate as a child. I travelled the world right from birth. At just 10 months old, I was on my first ferry crossing to Ireland. At 20 months old I was taking my first flight to Spain. As I grew older, my passion to explore new places, new cultures, grew and grew. By the age of 18, I had visited 15 different countries, travelling as far as New Zealand, and as high into the Arctic Circle.
My Love For The Outdoors
From the minute I was born, I carried up to the summits of mountains. As soon as I walking, I was climbing up to the summits on my two feet. My first pair of shoes was a pair of little red walking boots. I had climbed my first mountain by the age of 2. By the age of 5, I had climbed the highest mountain in Wales, Snowdon. At age 13 I went on to tackle the highest mountain in Great Britain, Ben Nevis. At age 14, I climbed the highest mountain in England, Scarfell Pike. At age 19 I climbed the highest mountain in Ireland, Carrauntoohil.
By the age of 18, I had completed 45 Wainwrights, climbed over 70 mountains, completed 4 long-distance footpath routes backpacking, and completed my Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. My 2 sisters and I had made it into the local newspaper for completing a very challenging long-distance route; ‘Tour du Mont Blanc’. It’s a 105-mile trek, backpacking, up steep mountain passes, through 3 different countries; France, Switzerland, and Italy. I happily celebrated my 13th birthday while I was out there. Not the average way to spend your birthday, climbing up a very steep mountain passes, pitching your tent in the dark, then eating dry powder food over the camp stove for your birthday tea. But certainly, a birthday to remember!
Life Living A Chronic Illness
Healthwise, I had a great childhood! I was very rarely poorly. It wasn’t until I was 19 I began getting ill. After lots and lots of tests, at the age of 21, I was diagnosed with Lupus. Since then I’ve also been diagnosed with Sjogren’s, Raynaud’s, Asthma, Acid Reflux, and a Hiatus Hernia.
It was a long couple of years, not knowing what was wrong, pre-diagnosis. Even once I was diagnosed, the battles continued. Trialing different medications and having to learn to adapt my life around my illness.
During the pandemic, I had shield so I decided to spend my time writing a book about my life living with Lupus. A book about my journey pre and post-diagnosis, how I managed to get it under control back in 2020, my favourite own recipes, dealing with mental health, exercising with a chronic illness, and so much more.
My Book
Heard of the book, How I Tamed the Wolf: Living with Lupus? Yes, this is me, the author. For anyone who hasn’t, or would like to know where to purchase it from, here is the link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09M73X2JQ/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_WV173R2VSMFVYNABCFQD
What To Expect To See On This Site
I’ve divided my site into 3 sections: travel, hikes, and my illness. If you are after some travel inspiration or want to know what to do in a city I have visited, there are lots of great blogs to read. If you are off for a walk and need a walking route, head over to the hiking section. I have written up my favourite hiking routes with downloadable GPX files. If you are interested to see how my week has been with my chronic illness, head over to my Lupus diaries.
Enjoy 🙂
Emma
xox